Comparison

HikeSim vs Squirrel

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

HikeSim

Track your workouts with simulated hikes on your Apple Watch and create your own photo hikes on iOS. View real-time metrics like heart rate, distance, and calories burned, with hike photos updating as you progress. Upload your own hikes to share with the community.

Highlights
  • Simulated hikes on Apple Watch
  • Real-time workout metrics
  • Hike photos based on distance
  • Create and upload photo hikes
  • Offline functionality
  • HealthKit integration
Features
Read full description

Overview of HikeSim HikeSim is a cross-platform health and fitness application that transforms everyday exercise routines (such as neighborhood walks, runs, cycling, or indoor treadmill sessions) into an immersive visual journey through national parks, state parks, and local trails. As you move in the real world, the application advances a synchronized sequence of scenic trail photos and metadata, keeping you motivated and connected to nature. Key Features Virtual Trail Simulations: Take virtual hikes across famous locations—such as the Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Petrified Forest, Lassen Peak, Capitol Reef, Joshua Tree, and local preserves. Real vs. Simulated Modes: Simulated Hikes: Distance, photos, elevation charts, and GPS checkpoints are driven programmatically by pre-recorded trail photo datasets at a selected pace. Real Hikes: Uses real-world GPS hardware, live telemetry, and actual device sensors to track your real-world path, altitude changes, and pace. Interactive Trail Maps & Elevation Profiles: Real-time map rendering tracks your position via custom green hiker annotations, alongside interactive elevation charts featuring live vertical progress indicators and altitude bounds. Custom Hike Maker (iOS): Turn your own outdoor walks into shareable HikeSim Photo Hikes by utilizing your phone's camera and location services to record geographic data, photos, and altitude profiles for upload. Voice Narration Support: Built-in audio capabilities can read trail notes and photo checkpoints aloud as you progress. Health & Fitness Integration Apple Health / HealthKit Integration: Seamlessly syncs workout metrics and telemetry directly to the iOS Health and Fitness ecosystem. Tracked Metrics: Captures and displays heart rate, active calories burned, total distance traveled, exercise duration, current pace, and Apple Activity Rings progress. Post-Workout Summaries: Comprehensive breakdown screens present total duration, distance, steps, pace, and net elevation gain/loss upon finishing a workout. Standalone Capabilities (Phone & Apple Watch) Both the iPhone and Apple Watch apps are fully capable of operating independently: Apple Watch App (Standalone): Operates with complete functionality regardless of iPhone proximity or cellular/internet connectivity. Features dedicated workout selections (walking, running, cycling). Displays real-time metrics, media playback controls, a live GPS coordinate screen, and dual-line altitude/heart rate graphs directly on your wrist. iPhone App (Standalone): Allows you to launch active workouts directly on your phone/tablet. Provides a larger interface for viewing high-resolution photo galleries, interacting with trail maps, reading detailed trail notes, and recording custom photo hikes out in the field.

About

Squirrel

Features
Read full description

Your best ideas vanish the second you reach for a notes app. Squirrel catches every thought - just talk, tap, done. The second brain finally built for ADHD. Your brain isn't broken. Regular to-do apps just weren't built for it - they assume perfect focus, flawless memory, and a sense of time you don't have. Squirrel works WITH your brain instead of shaming it. Made by an ADHD brain, for ADHD brains. CAPTURE EVERYTHING (before it's gone) Brain dump in a tap - text or voice, like texting yourself Voice notes with instant transcription - no typing, no losing the thought Turn any thought into a to-do - your junk drawer becomes your plan NEVER FORGET (out of sight, out of mind - solved) Key dates become to-dos automatically - bills, birthdays, appointments land on your list the day they're due Reminders that actually reach you - and sync to Apple Calendar Squirrel buries the date and digs it up for you - so you don't have to remember SEE YOUR TIME (built for time blindness) The day in four simple quarters, with a countdown you can win A focus timer that quiets the other 99 tabs - one task, just start Body-doubling focus mode that keeps you company while you work KEEP MOMENTUM (gently) Track habits your way - tap to mark, glance to know Streaks and wins that celebrate you - never guilt you See your day fill up, one small done at a time MADE FOR YOU IF… • Your thoughts disappear before you can write them down • You're somehow always late, even when you "left on time" • Your to-do list just gets longer and you never get THROUGH it • You forget appointments even when you genuinely care • Normal productivity apps make you feel like a failure Squirrel is your external memory - the place to put everything so your brain doesn't have to hold it. Your brain hoards. Squirrel remembers. Give your scattered brain somewhere to land. Free to start. — Squirrel is a focus and organization tool, not a medical device or a substitute for professional care. Questions or feedback? We read everything - reach us in the app.

Screenshots

HikeSim4 screens
Squirrel4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is device support: HikeSim at 3 against Squirrel's 1. On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for HikeSim against 5.0 for Squirrel. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 2 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

HikeSim ships an update every 2 months, Squirrel monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 8 level
HikeSim versus Squirrel: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHikeSimSquirrel
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings)
Number of ratings12 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsMonthly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — betteriPhone
Requires iOS16.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size114 MB12 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperAl GROSSJaganathan Konar

In-app purchases

None

HikeSim

No in-app purchases

None

Squirrel

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is HikeSim free?
HikeSim is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Squirrel free?
Squirrel is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, HikeSim or Squirrel?
HikeSim and Squirrel are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 2 ratings respectively.
Do HikeSim or Squirrel have ads?
Neither HikeSim nor Squirrel shows ads.
Which is updated more often, HikeSim or Squirrel?
HikeSim ships an update every 2 months, and Squirrel monthly. Most recently, HikeSim was updated on October 15, 2026 and Squirrel on October 24, 2026.

Other comparisons